Rice semiya (Rice Vermicelli)

To serve 3 people:

Ingredients:
• 200gms rice vermicelli
• 2 large onions finely chopped
• ½ cup grated coconut (optional)
• 15 cashew nuts chopped
• 3 tbps oil
• 2 tbps of channa dal
• 1 tbp of urad dal
• ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
• ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2red dry chillies
• 3 green chillies finely chopped
• 5-7 curry leaves
• Salt to taste

Method:
• In a pan add water, very little amount of salt and rice vermicelli. Boil for 15mins. After it is cooked using a strainer drain the water and put it aside.
• In non-stick pan heat oil, add cashew nuts, channa dal, urad dal and fry till they start to turn light brown.
• Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and dry chillies. When they start to pop up add green chillies, curry leaves and chopped onions. Fry till they cook. Add salt.
• Now add grated coconut and rice vermicelli. Mix it properly and serve hot.

Tip:
• Add running cold water after you drain hot water. This prevents from vermicelli sticking to each other.

Carrot dal (carrot pappu)

To serve 4 people:

Ingredients:
• 140gms of toor dal (kandi pappu)
• 3 large carrots chopped into big cubes
• 5 green chillies
• ½ teaspoon of turmeric
• 4 cups of water (double of dal in 1:2 ratio)
• 4 tbps of tamarind juice
• ½ teaspoon of mustard seeds
• ½ teaspoon of cumin seeds
• 1 tbp of ghee
• 2 red dry chillies
• Asafoetida a pinch
• 5 curry leaves
• 2 tbps of sambar powder (optional)
• Salt to taste
• Coriander to garnish

Method:
• In a pressure cooker add dal, carrots, turmeric, green chillies and water.
• Cook for 3 whistles and put it aside.
• In a small pan add ghee, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida, red dry chillies and curry leaves.
• After it starts to pop up add this to the dal.
• Now add tamarind juice, salt, sambar pwd and coriander leaves.
• Add ½ cup of water and cook for about 5mins.
• Serve hot with rice.

Tip:
• Tamarind juice, sambar pwd and ghee adds lot of taste to the dal.

Simple sandwich

To serve 2 people:

Ingredients:
• 8 bread slices
• Butter to toast
• 2 ½ ” inches of cucumber finely chopped
• 1 tomato finely chopped
• 1 small onion finely chopped
• ½ teaspoon of pepper
• ½ teaspoon of oregano
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• Pinch of chilli pwd
• ¼ teaspoon of garam masala (optional)

Method:
• Mix all the chopped vegetables and add pepper pwd, salt, oregano, chilli pwd and garam masala. This will be the stuffing between the bread slices.
• Stuff the bread slices with this mixture.
• Heat a pan and add butter to toast the stuffed bread.

Pasta with Tomato sauce

To serve 2 people:

Ingredients:
• 300gms penne pasta
• 4tbps of olive oil
• 3 big pods of garlic chopped into big cubes
• 2 onions finely chopped
• 3 fresh tomatoes finely chopped
• 4tbps of tomato puree
• 1 teaspoon of dry basilicum
• ½ teaspoon of dry oregano
• ½ tbp of pepper pwd
• 1 teaspoon of vegetable broth(optional)
• Salt to taste
• Grated parmesan cheese

Method:
• In a large bowl add water, salt, 1tbp of oil and boil pasta. After it is boiled drain water and add 1 tbp of olive oil and put it aside.
• In a nonstick pan heat 3tbps of olive oil, add garlic and when it starts to turn light brown in colour add onions. Cook for about 2mins. Don’t overcook onions.
• Add chopped tomatoes, puree and cook for about 3mins. Now add basilicum, oregano, salt, pepper pwd and vegetable broth. Cook for about 3mins. Turn off the heat.
• Now add boiled pasta and mix well.
• Garnish it with parmesan cheese.

Tip:
• Any kind of pasta can be used.

Pizza

To serve 2 people:

Ingredients:
• 300gms of pizza flour
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• 200ml of luke warm water
• 150ml of tomato puree
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of dry basilicum leaves
• ½ teaspoon of oregano
• 1 teaspoon of vegetable broth (optional)
• ½ tbp of olive oil
• 250gms of mozzarella
• 2 fresh tomatoes cut in circles
• Hand full of spring onions

Method:
• In a large bowl add pizza flour, egg, sugar, ½ teaspoon of salt and luke warm water. Knead it into a tight dough. Add some more water if needed. Cover it with a foil. Let it sit for about 4-5 hrs. The dough will become double in size. Now mix it again after 5hrs and add some plain flour if needed.
• Roll the pizza dough into the desired shape.
• In a small bowl add tomato puree, ½ teaspoon of salt, basilicum leaves, oregano and vegetable broth. Mix it well by adding olive oil. This will be the basic tomato sauce.
• Pre heat the oven for about 10mins.
• On a baking tray put baking paper and put the rolled pizza dough on it. Spread the tomato sauce. Arrange chopped tomatoes, mozzarella and spring onions.
• Back it for about 15-20mins in 200-220C

Tip:
• If pizza flour is not available you can also use all purpose flour.
• Combine 50ml of warm water and 1 ½ teaspoon of yeast in a small bowl and stir to dissolve.
• Combine 3 cups flour with salt, sugar and egg in a bowl. Add yeast mixture, 2 tbp of olive oil, remaining water and mix for about 5min. Knead it into a tight dough. Rest follow the above method.

Avial (mixed vegetable curry)

Ingredients:
• 2 medium size potatoes chopped into big cubes
• 2 big carrots chopped into small cubes
• 20 cauliflower florets
• Hand full of kidney beans and flat white beans soaked over night (optional)
• 1 small cup of green peas (I used frozen once)
• 1 small cup of beans chopped in 1” inch length
• 200ml of water
• 100gms of grated coconut (I used desiccated coconut)
• 7-8 green chillies
• 1 tbp of cumin seeds
• 1 tbp of ghee
• ½ tbp of cumin seeds
• Asafoetida a pinch
• Salt to taste
• Coriander leaves to garnish

Method:
• In a pressure cooker add all the vegetables including soaked beans, water, salt and cook for 2 whistles and put it aside to cool down.
• Coarsely grind coconut, green chillies and 1 tbp of cumin seeds.
• In a small pan heat ghee and add ½ tbp of cumin seeds and asafoetida. This will be the tadaka.
• Now add the grinded paste, tadaka and coriander leaves to the boiled vegetables and mix it well.
• On medium flame cook for about 10mins. Serve hot with rice or roti.

Tip:
• Don’t add more than 200ml of water as the vegetables itself contains water which will be sufficient for them to cook.

Methi dal (menthi kura pappu)

To serve 4-6 people:

Ingredients:
• 300gms chopped methi
• 240gms of moong dal
• Salt to taste
• 1tbp of ghee
• 1 tbp of urad dal
• 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
• Asafoetida a pinch
• 1 teaspoon of coarsely grinded red dry chillies
• 5 curry leaves

Method:
• In a pressure cooker add dal, chopped methi, salt and 600ml of water. Cook for 3 whistles and put it aside.
• In a small pan heat ghee and add urad dal, cumin seeds, asafoetida, coarsely grinded red dry chillies and curry leaves. Fry till they start to pop up.
• Now add this to the cooked dal and serve hot with rice.

Tip:
• Coarsely grinded red chillies can also be replaced by 4 red dry chillies. But the grinded one will add lot of taste.